Babies splash their way to raising £700,000

More than 1,500 babies and children took part in the Splashathon

More than 1,500 babies and toddlers in the South West have splashed their way to raising £700,000 for charity by taking part in a fancy-dress swim.

The children were taking part in the Splashathon event, run by Water Babies, supported by parents and teachers.

They were sponsored to complete challenges such as swimming their furthest, and for the older ones, saving a friend.

All proceeds are being donated to the children's charities, Tommy's and the Children's Alliance.

The bi-annual event helps raise money for two charities, Tommy's and the Children's Alliance

The children were also encouraged to wear their favourite fancy dress.

"I had quite a few favourites," Zoe Coldridge, from Water Babies in Salisbury told BBC Wiltshire.

"There was a really good penguin and we saw lots of [the Disney character] Moana."

Similar sessions across the South West, including Wiltshire and Somerset, helped add £26,000 towards the fundraising total.

'Record-breaking' total raised

Water Babies teaches children from just a few weeks old to five years old to swim and has been running the bi-annual Splashathon fundraiser since 2006, raising more than £6m in total.

Tommy's, the country's largest pregnancy and baby-loss charity, will benefit from a share of the record-breaking £700,000 that will go towards funding the UK's first National Centre for Preterm Birth Research for a year.

Children's Alliance, the charitable arm of Water Babies, which offers swimming lessons to babies and toddlers., will also receive a donation to fund its work.

Parents and carers took part with their children

"I am always so amazed and overwhelmed with the enormous amount of effort that everyone puts in," said Amie Sellick, Water Babies South West manager.

"This is from the creative and themed lesson planning to outrageously cute, and funny, costumes from both children and their carers.

"It's the first sponsored activity that many of our little one's can take part in, and they are just brilliant," she added.

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.